Rotationally resolved electronic spectra of 2- and 3-methylanisole in the gas phase: a study of methyl group internal rotation

Rotationally resolved fluorescence excitation spectra of several torsional bands in the S1 <-- S0 electronic spectra of 2-methylanisole (2MA) and 3-methylanisole (3MA) have been recorded in the collision-free environment of a molecular beam. Some of the bands can be fit with rigid rotor Hamiltonians; others exhibit perturbations produced by the coupling between the internal rotation of the methyl group and the overall rotation of the entire molecule. Analyses of these data show that 2MA and 3MA both have planar heavy-atom structures; 2MA has trans-disposed methyl and methoxy groups, whereas 3MA has both cis- and trans-disposed substituents. The preferred orientations (staggered or eclipsed) in two of the conformers and the internal rotation barriers of the methyl groups in all three conformers change when they are excited by light. Additionally, the values of the barriers opposing their motion depend on the relative positions of the substituent groups, in both electronic states. In contrast, no torsional motions of the attached methoxy groups were detected. Possible reasons for these behaviors are discussed.     

Microwave and UV excitation spectra of 4-fluorobenzyl alcohol at high resolution. S0 and S1 structures and tunneling motions along the low frequency -CH2OH torsional coordinate in both electronic states

Rotationally resolved electronic spectra of several low frequency vibrational bands that appear in the S(1) ← S(0) transition of 4-fluorobenzyl alcohol (4FBA) in the collision-free environment of a molecular beam have been observed and assigned. Each transition is split into two or more components by the tunneling motion of the attached -CH(2)OH group. A similar splitting is observed in the microwave spectrum of 4FBA. Analyses of these data show that 4FBA has a gauche structure in both electronic states, but that the ground state C(1)C(2)-C(7)O dihedral angle of ～60° changes by ～30° when the photon is absorbed. The barriers to the torsional motion of the attached -CH(2)OH group are also quite different in the two electronic states; V(2) ～ 300 cm(-1) high and ～60° wide in the S(0) state, and V(2) ～ 300 cm(-1) high and ～120° wide (or V(2) ～ 1200 cm(-1) high and ～60° wide) in the S(1) state. Possible reasons for these behaviors are discussed.     

Flickering dipoles in the gas phase: structures, internal dynamics, and dipole moments of β-naphthol-H2O in its ground and excited electronic states

Described here are the rotationally resolved S(1)-S(0) electronic spectra of the acid-base complex cis-β-naphthol-H(2)O in the gas phase, both in the presence and absence of an applied electric field. The data show that the complex has a trans-linear O-H???O hydrogen bond configuration involving the -OH group of cis-β-naphthol and the oxygen lone pairs of the attached water molecule in both electronic states. The measured permanent electric dipole moments of the complex are 4.00 and 4.66 D in the S(0) and S(1) states, respectively. These reveal a small amount of photoinduced charge transfer between solute and solvent, as supported by density functional theory calculations and an energy decomposition analysis. The water molecule also was found to tunnel through a barrier to internal motion nearly equal in energy to kT at room temperature. The resulting large angular jumps in solvent orientation produce "flickering dipoles" that are recognized as being important to the dynamics of bulk water.     

High resolution electronic spectra of 7-azaindole and its Ar atom van der Waals complex

Rotationally resolved fluorescence excitation spectra of the S(1)<--S(0) origin band of 7-azaindole [1H-pyrrolo(2,3-b)pyridine] and its argon atom van der Waals complex have been recorded and assigned. The derived rotational constants give information about the geometries of the two molecules in both electronic states. The equilibrium position of the argon atom in the azaindole complex is considerably different from its position in the corresponding indole complex. Furthermore, the argon atom moves when the UV photon is absorbed. There are significant differences in the intermolecular potential energy surfaces in the two electronic states. A large, vibration-state-dependent rotation of the S(1)<--S(0) electronic transition moment vector of 7-azaindole relative to that of indole suggests that these differences have their origin in S(1)/S(2) electronic state mixing in the isolated molecule, a mixing that is enhanced by nitrogen substitution in the six-membered ring.     

Rotationally resolved electronic spectroscopy of water clusters of 7-azaindole

The rotationally resolved electronic spectra of the electronic origin of the 7-azaindole-(H(2)O)(1) and of the 7-azaindole-(H(2)O)(2) clusters have been measured in a molecular beam. From the rotational constants the structures in the S(0) and S(1) electronic states were determined as cyclic with the pyrrolo NH and the pyridino N atoms being bridged by one and two water molecules, respectively. Excited state lifetimes of about 10 ns for both clusters have been found. In the spectrum of the 7-azaindole-(H(2)O)(2) cluster a splitting of the rovibronic band is observed, which can be traced back to a large amplitude motion, involving the out-of-plane hydrogen atoms of the water chain. Both the changes of the rotational constants upon electronic excitation and the orientation of the transition dipole point to a solvent induced state reversal between the L(a) and the L(b) states upon microsolvation.     

UV and IR spectroscopy of cold 1,2-dimethoxybenzene complexes with alkali metal ions

We report UV photodissociation (UVPD) and IR-UV double-resonance spectra of 1,2-dimethoxybenzene (DMB) complexes with alkali metal ions, M(+)·DMB (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs), in a cold, 22-pole ion trap. The UVPD spectrum of the Li(+) complex shows a strong origin band. For the K(+)·DMB, Rb(+)·DMB, and Cs(+)·DMB complexes, the origin band is very weak and low-frequency progressions are much more extensive than that of the Li(+) ion. In the case of the Na(+)·DMB complex, spectral features are similar to those of the K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) complexes, but vibronic bands are not resolved. Geometry optimization with density functional theory indicates that the metal ions are bonded to the oxygen atoms in all the M(+)·DMB complexes. For the Li(+) complex in the S(0) state, the Li(+) ion is located in the same plane as the benzene ring, while the Na(+), K(+), Rb(+), and Cs(+) ions are located off the plane. In the S(1) state, the Li(+) complex has a structure similar to that in the S(0) state, providing the strong origin band in the UV spectrum. In contrast, the other complexes show a large structural change in the out-of-plane direction upon S(1)-S(0) excitation, which results in the extensive low-frequency progressions in the UVPD spectra. For the Na(+)·DMB complex, fast charge transfer occurs from Na(+) to DMB after the UV excitation, making the bandwidth of the UVPD spectrum much broader than that of the other complexes and producing the photofragment DMB(+) ion.     

Laser Spectroscopic Study of β-Estradiol and Its Monohydrated Clusters in a Supersonic Jet

The structures of 17β-estradiol (estradiol) and its 1:1 cluster with water have been investigated in supersonic jets. The S(1)-S(0) electronic spectrum of estradiol monomer shows four strong sharp bands in the 35050-35200 cm(-1) region. Ultraviolet-ultraviolet hole-burning (UV-UV HB) and infrared-ultraviolet double-resonance (IR-UV DR) spectra of these bands indicate that they are due to four different conformers of estradiol originating from the different orientation of the OH groups in the A- and D-rings. The addition of water vapor to the sample gas generates four new bands in the 34700-34800 cm(-1) region, which are assigned to the estradiol-H(2)O 1:1 cluster with the A-ring (phenyl ring) OH acting as a hydrogen(H)-bond donor. In addition, we found very weak bands near the origin bands of bare estradiol upon the addition of water vapor. These bands are assigned to the isomers of estradiol-H(2)O 1:1 cluster having an H-bond at the D-ring OH. We determine the conformation of bare estradiol and the structures of its monohydrated clusters with the aid of density functional theory calculation and discuss the relationship between the stability of hydrated clusters and the conformation of estradiol.     

IR laser manipulation of cis<-->trans isomerization of 2-naphthol and its hydrogen-bonded clusters

The cis<-->trans isomerization reaction has been carried out for 2-naphthol and its hydrogen (H) bonded clusters by infrared (IR) laser in the electronic excited state (S1) in supersonic jets. A specific isomer in the jet was pumped to the X-H stretching vibration in the S1 state, where X refers to C, O, or N atom, by using a stepwise UV-IR excitation, and the dispersed emission spectra of the excited species or generated fragments were observed. It was found that the isomerization occurs only in the H-bonded clusters but a bare molecule does not exhibit the isomerization in the examined energy region of Ev< or =3610 cm(-1), indicating a reduction of the isomerization barrier height upon the H bonding. The relative yield of the isomerization was observed as a function of internal energy. The isomerization yield was found to be very high at the low IR frequency excitation, and was rapidly reduced with the IR frequency due to the competition of the dissociation of the H bond within the isomer. Density-functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations were performed for estimating the barrier height of the isomerization for bare 2-naphthol and its cluster for electronic ground and excited states. The calculation showed that the isomerization barrier height is highly dependent on the electronic states. However, the reduction of the height upon the hydrogen bonding was not suggested at the level of our calculation.     

Rotationally resolved electronic spectra of 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene. A "floppy" molecule in the gas phase

Rotationally resolved fluorescence excitation spectra of several bands in the S1<--S0 electronic spectrum of 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (DHPH) have been observed and assigned. Each band was fit using rigid rotor Hamiltonians in both electronic states. Analyses of these data reveal that DHPH has a nonplanar configuration in its S0 state with a dihedral angle between the aromatic rings (phi) of approximately 21.5 degrees. The data also show that excitation of DHPH with UV light results in a more planar structure of the molecule in the electronically excited state, with phi approximately 8.5 degrees. Three prominent Franck-Condon progressions appear in the low resolution spectrum, all with fundamental frequencies lying below 300 cm(-1). Estimates of the potential energy surfaces along each of these coordinates have been obtained from analyses of the high resolution spectra. The remaining barrier to planarity in the S1 state is estimated to be approximately 2650 cm(-1) along the bridge deformation mode and is substantially reduced by excitation of the molecule along the (orthogonal) ring twisting coordinate.     

Vibrational dynamics and structural investigation of 2,2'-dipyridylketone using Raman, IR and UV-visible spectroscopy aided by ab initio and density functional theory calculation

Detailed investigation on the vibrational and electronic spectra has been carried out in order to study various properties of 2,2'-dipyridylketone molecule in its ground and excited electronic states. To get insight into the structural and symmetry features of the molecule, Raman excitation profiles of several normal modes have been analyzed. The polarized Raman spectra in different environments along with their IR counterpart have been critically surveyed and different normal modes have been assigned. The knowledge in regard to the positions of different excited electronic states has been acquired from the study of electronic absorption spectra. All the experimental observations have been substantiated and corroborated theoretically by the quantum chemical calculation. Possibility of exciton splitting of the 1La band has been explored both from theoretical and experimental points of view.     

Twisting dynamics in the excited singlet state of Michler's ketone

Ultrafast relaxation dynamics of the excited singlet (S(1)) state of Michler's ketone (MK) has been investigated in different kinds of solvents using a time-resolved absorption spectroscopic technique with 120 fs time resolution. This technique reveals that conversion of the locally excited (LE) state to the twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) state because of twisting of the N,N-dimethylanilino groups with respect to the central carbonyl group is the major relaxation process responsible for the multi-exponential and probe-wavelength-dependent transient absorption dynamics of the S1 state of MK, but solvation dynamics does not have a significant role in this process. Theoretical optimization of the ground-state geometry of MK shows that the dimethylanilino groups attached to the central carbonyl group are at a dihedral angle of about 51 degrees with respect to each other because of steric interaction between the phenyl rings. Following photoexcitation of MK to its S1 state, two kinds of twisting motions have been resolved. Immediately after photoexcitation, an ultrafast "anti-twisting" motion of the dimethylanilino groups brings back the pretwisted molecule to a near-planar geometry with high mesomeric interaction and intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) character. This motion is observed in all kinds of solvents. Additionally, in solvents of large polarity, the dimethylamino groups undergo further twisting to about 90 degrees with respect to the phenyl ring, to which it is attached, leading to the conversion of the ICT state to the TICT state. Similar characteristics of the absorption spectra of the TICT state and the anion radical of MK establish the nearly pure electron transfer (ET) character of the TICT state. In aprotic solvents, because of the steep slope of the potential energy surface near the Franck-Condon (FC) or LE state region, the LE state is nearly nonemissive at room temperature and fluorescence emission is observed from only the ICT and TICT states. Alternatively, in protic solvents, because of an intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interaction between MK and the solvent, the LE region is more flat and stimulated emission from this state is also observed. However, a stronger hydrogen-bonding interaction between the TICT state and the solvent as well as the closeness between the two potential energy surfaces due to the TICT and the ground states cause the nonradiative coupling between these states to be very effective and, hence, cause the TICT state to be weakly emissive. The multi-exponentiality and strong wavelength-dependence of the kinetics of the relaxation process taking place in the S1 state of MK have arisen for several reasons, such as strong overlapping of transient absorption and stimulated emission spectra of the LE, ICT, and TICT states, which are formed consecutively following photoexcitation of the molecule, as well as the fact that different probe wavelengths monitor different regions of the potential energy surface representing the twisting motion of the excited molecule.     

High resolution electronic spectra of anisole and anisole-water in the gas phase: hydrogen bond switching in the S1 state

Rotationally resolved S(1)<--S(0) electronic spectra of anisole and its hydrogen bonded complex containing one water molecule have been obtained. The results provide evidence for an "in-plane" complex in which the water molecule is attached via two hydrogen bonds to the anisole molecule, a donor O-H- - -O(CH(3)) bond and an acceptor H-O- - -H(ring) bond. Analysis of the subbands that appear in the spectrum of the complex suggests that hydrogen bond "switching" occurs when the complex absorbs light. The former O-H- - -O(CH(3)) bond is stronger in the ground (S(0)) state, whereas the latter H-O- - -H(ring) bond is stronger in the excited (S(1)) state. Dynamical consequences of this phenomenon are discussed.     

High-resolution spectroscopy of methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate and its hydrogen-bonded water complex

The electronic structure and spectroscopic properties of the lower excited singlet states of methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate, a model for the chromophore of the photoactive yellow protein in neutral form, have been investigated using various high-resolution gas-phase spectroscopic techniques and quantum-chemical calculations. The experiments show that under our experimental conditions the molecule can adopt four conformations with similar spectroscopic properties. From the detailed assignment of the vibrationally active modes in excitation and emission spectra, it is concluded that the S(1) and S(2) states should be assigned to the V' and V pipi* states that are characterized by, respectively, small and large contributions of the HOMO --> LUMO excitation. We find that complexation with a single water molecule affects the spectroscopic properties of methyl 4-hydroxycinnamate considerably in terms of stabilization of the lowest excited singlet state but in particular with respect to the transition intensities. The latter observation is tentatively interpreted as being caused by an increase in the oscillator strength of the respective electronic transition as well as by a rise/removal of conical intersections with the pisigma* state.     

Synthesis of hydroxy and methoxy perylene quinones, their spectroscopic and computational characterization, and their antiviral activity

Hydroxy and methoxy perylene quinones are synthesized in an attempt to isolate the essential spectroscopic and biological features of light-induced antiviral agents such as hypericin and hypocrellin. Unlike their naturally occurring counterparts, these synthetic quinones bear the carbonyl, hydroxyl, and methoxy groups in the "bay region." The hydroxy and methoxy compounds have rich absorption spectra with broad features in the visible (approximately 450-800 nm) and relatively more intense and narrow features at wavelengths < or = 350 nm. High-level ab initio quantum mechanical calculations assign the features in the absorption spectra to electronic transitions from S0 to S2 and to higher-lying electronic states. The calculations indicate that in the ground state the trans dihydroxy isomer is 12.5 kcal/mol lower in energy than the cis dihydroxy isomer and is thus the only species present. The lowest-energy trans methoxy ground state isomer and the lowest-energy cis methoxy ground state isomer are found to be degenerate. An additional cis methoxy isomer 6.3 kcal/mol higher in energy than the global minimum is assumed to contribute to the spectrum and is also considered. Finally, the synthetic compounds exhibit similar light-induced antiviral activity to each other, but significantly less than that of hypericin.     

Experimental measurement of the induced dipole moment of an isolated molecule in its ground and electronically excited states: indole and indole-H2O

Reported here are measurements of the magnitude and orientation of the induced dipole moment that is produced when an indole molecule in its ground S(0) and electronically excited S(1) states is polarized by the attachment of a hydrogen bonded water molecule in the gas phase complex indole-H(2)O. For the complex, we find the permanent dipole moment values mu(IW)(S(0)) = 4.4 D and mu(IW)(S(1)) = 4.0 D, values that are substantially different from calculated values based on vector sums of the dipole moments of the component parts. From this result, we derive the induced dipole moment values mu(I) (*)(S(0)) = 0.7 D and mu(I) (*)(S(1)) = 0.5 D. The orientation of the induced moment also is significantly different in the two electronic states. These results are quantitatively reproduced by a purely electrostatic calculation based on ab initio values of multipole moments.     

High-resolution electronic spectrum of the p-difluorobenzene-water complex: structure and internal rotation dynamics

The rotationally resolved S(1) <-- S(0) electronic spectrum of the water complex of p-difluorobenzene (pDFB) has been observed in the collision-free environment of a molecular beam. Analyses of these data show that water forms a planar sigma-bonded complex with pDFB via two points of attachment, a stronger F---H-O hydrogen bond and weaker H---O-H hydrogen bond, involving an ortho hydrogen atom of the ring. Despite the apparent rigidity of this structure, the water molecule also is observed to move within the complex, leading to a splitting of the spectrum into two tunneling subbands. Analyses of these data show that this motion is a combined inversion-internal rotation of the attached water, analogous to the "acceptor-switching" motion in the water dimer. The barriers to this motion are significantly different in the two electronic states owing to changes in the relative strengths of the two hydrogen bonds that hold the complex together.     

Laser spectroscopic study on the conformations and the hydrated structures of benzo-18-crown-6-ether and dibenzo-18-crown-6-ether in supersonic jets

The laser-induced fluorescence spectra of jet-cooled benzo-18-crown-6 (B18C6) and dibenzo-18-crown-6 (DB18C6) exhibit a number of vibronic bands in the 35 000-37 000 cm(-1) region. We attribute these bands to monomers and hydrated clusters by fluorescence-detected IR-UV and UV-UV double resonance spectroscopy. We found four and two conformers for bare B18C6 and DB18C6, and the hydration of one water molecule reduces the number of isomers to three and one for B18C6-(H(2)O)(1) and DB18C6-(H(2)O)(1), respectively. The IR-UV spectra of B18C6-(H(2)O)(1) and DB18C6-(H(2)O)(1) suggest that all isomers of the monohydrated clusters have a double proton-donor type (bidentate) hydration. That is, the water molecule is bonded to B18C6 or DB18C6 via two O-H[dot dot dot]O hydrogen bonds. The blue shift of the electronic origin of the monohydrated clusters and the quantum chemical calculation suggest that the water molecule in B18C6-(H(2)O)(1) and DB18C6-(H(2)O)(1) prefers to be bonded to the ether oxygen atoms near the benzene ring.     

Isotopomeric conformational changes in the anisole-water complex: new insights from HR-UV spectroscopy and theoretical studies

Resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization and rotationally resolved S1<--S0 electronic spectra of the anisole-2H2O complex have been obtained. The experimental results are compared with high level quantum mechanical calculations and with data already available in the literature. Quite surprisingly, the equilibrium structure of the anisole-2H2O complex in the S0 state shows some non-negligible differences from that of the isotopomer anisole-1H2O complex. Actually, the structure of the deuterated complex is more similar to the corresponding structure of the anisole-1H2O complex in the S1 state. In anisole-water, two equivalent H(D) atoms exist as revealed by line splitting in the rotationally resolved spectra. It is possible to suggest a mechanism for the proton/deuteron exchange ruled by a bifurcated transition state for the exchange reaction, with both water hydrogen atoms interacting with the anisole oxygen atom. From the analysis of all of the available experimental data and of computational results, we can demonstrate that in the S1 excited state the hydrogen bond in which the water molecule acts as an acid is weaker than in the electronic ground state but is still the principal interaction between water and the anisole molecules.     

Microhydration effects on the electronic spectra of protonated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: [naphthalene-(H2O)(n = 1,2)]H+

Vibrational and electronic spectra of protonated naphthalene (NaphH(+)) microsolvated by one and two water molecules were obtained by photofragmentation spectroscopy. The IR spectrum of the monohydrated species is consistent with a structure with the proton located on the aromatic molecule, NaphH(+)-H(2)O. Similar to isolated NaphH(+), the first electronic transition of NaphH(+)-H(2)O (S(1)) occurs in the visible range near 500 nm. The doubly hydrated species lacks any absorption in the visible range (420-600 nm) but absorbs in the UV range, similar to neutral Naph. This observation is consistent with a structure, in which the proton is located on the water moiety, Naph-(H(2)O)(2)H(+). Ab initio calculations for [Naph-(H(2)O)(n)]H(+) confirm that the excess proton transfers from Naph to the solvent cluster upon attachment of the second water molecule.     

Theoretical and experimental studies of the infrared rovibrational spectrum of He2-N2O

Rovibrational spectra of the He(2)-N(2)O complex in the nu(1) fundamental band of N(2)O (2224 cm(-1)) have been observed using a tunable infrared laser to probe a pulsed supersonic jet expansion, and calculated using five coordinates that specify the positions of the He atoms with respect to the NNO molecule, a product basis, and a Lanczos eigensolver. Vibrational dynamics of the complex are dominated by the torsional motion of the two He atoms on a ring encircling the N(2)O molecule. The resulting torsional states could be readily identified, and they are relatively uncoupled to other He motions up to at least upsilon(t) = 7. Good agreement between experiment and theory was obtained with only one adjustable parameter, the band origin. The calculated results were crucial in assigning many weaker observed transitions because the effective rotational constants depend strongly on the torsional state. The observed spectra had effective temperatures around 0.7 K and involved transitions with J < or =3, with upsilon(t) = 0 and 1, and (with one possible exception) with Deltaupsilon(t)=0. Mixing of the torsion-rotation states is small but significant: some transitions with Deltaupsilon(t) not equal 0 were predicted to have appreciable intensity even assuming that the dipole transition moment coincides perfectly with the NNO axis. One such transition was tentatively assigned in the observed spectra, but confirmation will require further work.